From Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
In a heartwarming display of interfaith solidarity, the Church of Christ Evangelical and Life Intervention Ministry in Sabon Tasha, Kaduna, has distributed food items to over 1,000 Muslims, Islamic schools, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in preparation for the 30-day Ramadan fasting period.
The General Overseer of the Church, Pastor (Dr) Yohanna Buru, while distributing the items at the Kano Road Central Mosque in Kaduna, explained that the aim was to strengthen peace and unity in the state.
According to Pastor Yohanna, the church has consistently supported over 1,000 underprivileged Muslims and Tsangaya Islamic schools across northern Nigeria with food assistance during Ramadan, encouraging them to pray for peace and stability in the country.
He reiterated that the goal was to provide foodstuffs for the less privileged throughout the 30-day fasting and prayer period.
“The Church has been distributing rice, maize, and other food items to poor Muslims in five northern states for the past 20 years to enable them to participate fully in the 30-day fasting and prayers of Ramadan,” Pastor Yohanna said.
“Every year, the church also includes mats and plastic kettles, encouraging recipients to pray at home for an end to the rising challenges of insecurity, high inflation, and other issues affecting peace and stability in the country.”
As prices of goods and services continue to rise due to high demand, Buru further stated that he mobilised 50 volunteer pastors and imams for a seven-day campaign with market traders to help reduce food prices. This year’s Ramadan season comes amid extreme hot weather.
Pastor Dr Yohanna Buru also added that every year, the church bails out Muslim prisoners to enable them to participate in the 29 or 30-days of fasting and prayers with their families and relatives.
He also acknowledged the annual donations made by a Muslim woman, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani, to widows and orphans during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
He then wished Muslims all over the world a successful Ramadan Kareem and urged them to pray for peace and unity in the land.
Receiving the items, the leader of the Association of Persons with Disabilities in the state, Mallam Hassan Lawal, expressed gratitude for the church’s ongoing support.
He appealed to wealthy Muslims to support the less privileged with foodstuffs to enable them to stay at home and pray for the nation.
“We truly appreciate our Christian brothers and sisters because the help they provide comes at a time of great need, when no one else seems to be concerned about us,” Lawal said.
Similarly, the Kaduna State leader of the Visually Impaired Association, Mallam Tukur Zubairu, acknowledged the church’s long-standing support for Muslims during Ramadan.
He stressed that for the past 20 years, the church has been remembering them with food grains for use during the 30 days of Ramadan.
He said only God will reward the General Overseer of the church for supporting poor Muslims with food items for Ramadan.
Responding on behalf of Tsangaya Islamic schools in Kaduna, Imam Ibrahim Musa thanked Pastor Dr Yohanna Buru for remembering them during Ramadan with food grains. He then called on other wealthy individuals to emulate the gesture.
The murshid of Jama’atul Nasrul Islam, Imam Ilyasu, commended Pastor Dr Yohanna Buru for his giant efforts in promoting interfaith harmony and supporting the less privileged.
He called on wealthy individuals to be giving zakat to the poor Muslims, saying it was a way of purifying their wealth and earning rewards from Allah.